Amonkira
One of the major gods in the drell pantheon, worshipped on old Rakhana and by many drell today, including those affiliated with the Illuminated Primacy. The concept of Rhamaka is tied to worship of Amonkira. This can be translated as "shepherd" or even as "unity". It represents the knowledge that Amonkira gave to all drell on how to hunt and take lives. It is said that the hunter who wields Rhamaka will always find the prey they need. History One common aspect of Amonkira is that of the Lord of Hunters, presented as a red male drell with four arms. Amonkira is also known as the Lady of Predation, who has a slight build and brown scales; her eyes burn with fire and she is said to never lose the prey she has set her eyes upon. The idea that a god might have more than one form isn’t unusual among religions, but the drell believe it goes further than that. While the Lord of the Hunt and the Lady of Predation are both wholly Amonkira, they are not the same as each other. Each of the aspects have a separate personality and a separate history. Historically, the Lord of the Hunt was worshipped as the sole aspect of Amonkira on the Plain of Gul’terak while the Lady of Predation was at work in the lush jungles of Kurfenak. When empires joined forces they recognised that the Lord of the Hunt and the Lady of Predation were different aspects of the same god. However, merging like this doesn’t mean that the legends merge. The net effect is that drell gods can meet themselves, fight themselves, or romance themselves. Given the perfect memory of the drell species, it was really the only option on Rakhana; if a nation invaded another they would find it impossible to stamp out competing religions unless they slaughtered the entire population. So cultures and faiths merged, split and merged again, resulting in a gigantic pantheon of gods and their forms. The Seraph Once in the southern reaches of Rakhana there was a hunter, a man whom became the guardian of his sister when their parents were called by Kalahira. He took care of her the best he could. Then one day, while he was out hunting, a dark priest of the demon Sephos descended upon the village. The girl hadn’t a chance. Enraged by this, the man hunted the dark priest down, but once he found the priest he found a man so corrupted by his demon master that he relished the prospect of being slain, so he might join said master. So distraught by what he found, the hunter cut the dark priest, but let him go. He did this 19 times, catching the dark priest, cutting him, but ultimately letting the man go. The first few times, the dark priest celebrated the hunter’s arrival. But with each subsequent visit the priest grew desperate, more afraid. Until the 19th time where the priest was petrified when the hunter found him. At that time he was no longer a dark priest for he had lost faith in Sephos, due to the hunter’s relentless pursuit. Only then with the dark priest’s faith sundered did the hunter finish it, satisfied in the knowledge that neither gods nor demons would ever claim the man’s soul, and it would evaporate into oblivion. It was only then, with his prey slain at his feet, that the hunter became aware that he had not once during all the months of hunting eaten, slept, or even drank. When he looked at his own hands he saw only bone. That was his moment of exaltation, and he ascended to take his place next to Amonkira, becoming known as Ninuiszi, Seraph in eternal service of Amonkira. Trivia The Unspoken King is said to have made a hundred sacrifices daily to Amonkira at the summit of the Divine Spire. One drell myth is the tale of the Karnahj, Amonkira’s chosen servants, in which Amonkira descends upon Rakhana to take drell females as his huntresses. Category:Religion Category:Culture